swift in their response. Yet there is not always a full understanding of the needs and concerns of Jewish students, including concerns around harassment as a result of antisemitic behaviour. UJS highlighted that there have been past attempts to offer training to university and students’ union staff on developing better understanding of the anxieties that Jewish students may have, as well as an improved understanding of the‘ broader ethnic and national dimension to Jewish identity’.
UJS state that they would welcome the opportunity to deliver this training and suggest working with other minority group organisations in order to broaden the training to cover a wide range of groups. Though specific to supporting Jewish students, the submission from UJS supports the common focus on effective training and strong external relationships emphasised by the evidence gathered across all of the Taskforce’ s areas of focus.
UUK has attempted to engage with the Federation of Student Islamic Societies( FOSIS) to gain their input, but none has been provided. The Taskforce has therefore focused on the evidence collected by Tell MAMA, as outlined above.
Intersectionality – women, ethnicity, race and faith
Evidence was also submitted highlighting that some women students are targeted for sexual harassment on the basis of their ethnicity, race and faith, with a focus on black and minority ethnic women.
There is little official, robust evidence on this. The Taskforce received input referring to recently reported evidence which suggests that a rise in religious and race hate crime, exacerbated by a wider climate of anti-Muslim feeling, means that Muslim women are at risk of attacks on campus. The NUS Black Students’ Campaign also stated that‘ 72 % of Muslim women have experienced verbal abuse and threatening behaviour relating directly to their visible Muslim presence’. 120 Institutions are advised to develop a better understanding of how the intersectional complexity of race, ethnicity, class, gender and sexuality interacts with religion and belief in higher education in order to respond to and prevent misogynistic attitudes and actions that different women students may face. This includes addressing the way in which curriculums address faith-based, racial and sexual issues in the classroom, as well as the practical way in which these incidents are dealt with.
Hate crime on the basis of other protected characteristics
The focus of the Taskforce has been on the areas outlined above – violence against women and sexual harassment, harassment and hate crime based on gender and sexual orientation, and harassment and hate crime on the basis of religion and belief. It is in relation to these areas that particular problems have been drawn to the attention of UUK including by government, students, campaign groups and institutions themselves. The research and engagement carried out in support of the Taskforce therefore reflects this focus.
However, hate crime on the basis of other protected characteristics also impacts upon students’ university experiences. Below we outline some of the evidence available in relation to race and disability hate crime affecting students.
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NUS Black Students’ Campaign.
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